SCOSA Architectural Education Awards
2024 Winners
Innovation in Architectural Education Award
Winner: Kasia Nawratek (Manchester School of Architecture)
"My pedagogical innovations derive from a multidisciplinary approach that weaves together architecture, creative writing, and art. I integrate literary methods into architectural discourse, encouraging students to examine spatial problems from diverse and often unexpected angles. This novel integration is inspired by Paul Ricoeur's ideas on the linguistic roots of imagination and grounded in Mikhail Bakhtin's dialogic approach and concept of polyphony."
Winner: Mickael Milocco Borlini, Denis Jahic, Robert Hopkins, Peter Pickford, Charlie Bull (Cardiff Metropolitan University)
"The 'Architectural Heritage' project, awarded for its innovation, integrates diverse disciplines such as Architecture, Architecture Design and Technology, and Interior Design within a five-week module at Cardiff School of Art & Design at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Notably, it pioneers a collaborative learning environment where students merge skills to tackle real-world challenges. This initiative emphasises soft skill development, such as teamwork and leadership, which are crucial for future professional roles. It employs a balanced assessment structure, combining individual and group tasks, fostering deeper engagement and responsible collaboration. Students act as judges in an architectural competition-like format, enhancing participation and recognising outstanding efforts.
This project significantly impacts students' learning experiences by fostering a collaborative studio culture, earning widespread positive feedback. Its legacy is preparing students for seamless integration into workplaces where collaborative expertise is prized. Moreover, its replicability offers a blueprint for similar modules, aiding students' development of essential professional skills for careers in the construction industry."
Commended: Matthew Ault (Manchester School of Architecture)
"The commendation was received for innovation in undergraduate (Part 1) teaching of technological and environmental design via a short, focused, integrative design project that covers the core responsibilities of practising architects including climate, fire and life safety. The project was designed to address student experience and workload, preparedness for contemporary and future practice, inclusive pedagogies and transferrable skillsets, professional standards and quality assurance."
Commended: Anna Gidman (Manchester School of Architecture)
"Anna is passionate about teaching and natural materials, despite not being taught about them when she studied at university. She joined the Architecture Climate Action Network a few years ago, taking interest in and becoming a coordinator of the Natural Materials group. She noticed a gap in teaching where students are not exposed to actual material samples. She assembled an extensive collection of natural materials samples and created a student version of the ACAN event ‘An Introduction to Natural Materials’. Not only does she give talks at her own university where she promotes the use of natural materials, she also offers this talk to other universities, and has spoken at many other schools of architecture since January 2023. She takes a materials sample case with her, passing round samples as she speaks creating an engaging tactile session where she welcomes interruption. She is passionate about the climate crisis and doing all she can to promote change within the industry by teaching our future architects to question the impact of the choices they will make when specifying materials. This promotes an awareness of the power to reduce embodied carbon through material specification. She is currently working on developing a natural materials exhibition."
Lifetime Contribution Award
Winner: Alexander Wright
"The Lifetime Contribution Award has been given to Alex Wright in recognition of the esteem in which he is held and his achievements in architectural education, both nationally and internationally, over 33 years of leading academic practice.
Alex has been an advisor, consultant or examiner for twenty schools of architecture in the UK, and seventeen universities overseas. He has been a consistent innovator in the sector and an influential advocate for architectural education through publications, conferences and as an invited speaker.
Alex chaired the QAA’s panel which wrote the 2020 Benchmark Statement for Architecture, served two terms as SCOSA Chair, and was twice elected as the Professional Representative on the Board of the ARB. He is the UK’s longest serving Head of School, establishing University of Bath as one of the UK’s leading Schools of Architecture.
Throughout this period Alex has led his design studio at Bath, with his students being the recipients of numerous national and international design awards."
